2-year-old boy fell into koi pond and was miraculously saved

A 2-year-old boy in Hue City drowned after falling into a koi pond, fell into a deep coma, and stopped breathing. Thanks to the method of command hypothermia, the boy was miraculously saved and left with no sequelae.

A 2-year-old boy was saved after drowning after falling into a koi pond in Hue - Photo: THUONG HIEN

On the morning of July 22, Hue Central Hospital announced that it had miraculously saved the life of a 2-year-old boy who drowned after falling into a koi pond thanks to the method of command hypothermia.

Previously, NTTM (2 years old, residing in Loc An commune, Hue city) drowned after falling into a Koi pond in the yard, it is not clear how long he was in the water. When discovered, the child was in a coma, cyanotic, stopped breathing, and unresponsive.

The family immediately provided first aid on the spot within 2 minutes. Luckily, the baby was able to move again, breathing weakly and was taken to the commune health station, then urgently transferred to Hue Central Hospital.

At the time of admission, the boy was in a deep coma, SpO₂ was only 80% despite oxygen therapy, the prognosis was extremely serious.

Doctors quickly implemented intensive care treatment, intubation, mechanical ventilation, antibiotics, and vasopressors.

The prognosis was that the child could suffer severe brain damage due to being submerged in water and lacking oxygen for too long, so the doctors decided to use the method of controlled hypothermia - a method currently being applied in modern resuscitation centers around the world to treat and save the patient's life.

After many days of treatment, the boy was discharged from the hospital without any sequelae or brain damage - Photo: THUONG HIEN

After using the hypothermia machine, the patient's body temperature is maintained at about 33-34°C for 24-72 consecutive hours.

After 5 days, the patient was taken off the ventilator, and on the 7th day was transferred out of the intensive care unit. Currently, the child is awake, walking and eating normally, with no obvious neurological sequelae - an unexpected result, bringing emotion to the family and medical team.

Dr. Hoang Thi Lan Huong, deputy director of Hue Central Hospital, said that since April the hospital has received many cases of children drowning, including 10 serious cases.

"Children can drown in just 20-30 seconds, silently, without struggling or calling for help as adults imagine. Therefore, parents need to take precautions and closely monitor children near water, absolutely not being negligent or subjective," said Dr. Huong.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/be-trai-2-tuoi-nga-xuong-ho-ca-koi-duoc-cuu-song-than-ky-20250722092940997.htm